According to Cmdr. Robert Hospodar, strike group surface operations officer, the group sail was an important step toward integrating the individual units and establishing lines of communication.

"Many of the ships were finishing up their basic training," said Hospodar. "There are certain skills that every strike group needs to have, and you have to practice those skills in an integrated environment."

"The group sail gave us a chance to practice before our next big training evolution, the Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX)," he added.

The advantage of working out some of the initial integration challenges before the exercise begins will pay huge dividends.

"After completing this group sail, our goal is to come out of the gates running and have a world class COMPTUEX," Hospodar said.

Carrier Strike Group 11 is currently qualified as emergency surge deployable under the guidelines of the Navy's Fleet Response Plan. The strike group will become surge deployable following the successful completion of COMPTUEX and CVW-11's completion of Fallon, Nev., air wing detachment training.